Dana Delany
Dana Welles Delany (born March 13, 1956) is an American film, stage, and television actress. Known especially for her two-time Emmy Award winning performance as Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television show China Beach (1988–91) and for her role as Katherine Mayfair on Desperate Housewives (2007-). Delany has been active in film, television, and stage since the late 1970s. Biography Delany was born in New York City. After growing up in Stamford, Connecticut, she attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, then Wesleyan University. She was cast as Colleen McMurphy on China Beach, airing from 1988 to 1991, which brought intense media attention to the actress. This role not only garnered two Emmy Awards, but two other Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. Leveraging this newfound fame, she appeared in feature films such as Light Sleeper (1992), Housesitter (1992), Tombstone (1993), and Fly Away Home (1996), plus TV movies such as Promise to Keep (1991) and Wild Palms (1993). She took on controversial roles, such as Margaret Sanger in the TV movie Choices of the Heart (1995), Mistress Lisa in the 1994 feature film Exit to Eden (adapted from the Anne Rice book), and an Emmy-nominated role as a gun-owning mother in an episode of the TV series Family Law (1999) (which was not rerun, due to sponsorship withdrawal). Delany provided voiceover work as Andrea Beaumont in the 1993 animated feature Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Lois Lane in the Warner Bros. animated production of Superman: The Animated Series, starting in the mid-1990s and continuing through 2005. She was also mentioned by name in the theme song of Animaniacs, another Warner Bros. production. During the latter part of the 1990s and early 2000s, she focused on roles in TV series, such as the short-lived Pasadena (2001) and Presidio Med (2002); TV movies like True Women (1997), Resurrection (1999), A Time to Remember (2003), and Baby for Sale (2004); and feature films by indie film producers, such as The Outfitters (1999), Mother Ghost (2002), and Spin (2003). During this period, she found time to get back to the stage, on and off Broadway, in Translations (1995, Broadway), Dinner With Friends (2000, New York City, Los Angeles, Boston), and Much Ado About Nothing (2003, San Diego). From 2004 to 2006, Delany played many guest roles on TV shows, such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Boston Legal, Kojak, Related, The L Word, and Battlestar Galactica. Dana also starred in the short-lived TV series Kidnapped (2006). In 2007, Delany took parts in the films A Beautiful Life, Camp Hope, and Multiple Sarcasms. She then joined the cast of the TV series Desperate Housewives''for the 2007-08 season. (Delany had previously turned down an offer to play Desperate Housewives character Bree Hodge, saying it was too similar to her role on Pasadena. Personal and public life Since the mid-1990s, Delany has served on the board of the Scleroderma Research Foundation, and with her friend Sharon Monsky, she helped campaign for support in finding a cure for scleroderma. Working with director Bob Saget, Dana starred in the TV movie ''For Hope (1996), based on Saget's sister Gay, who had died as a result of the disease. Since the mid-1990s, she has had a notable World Wide Web presence. She has participated in several online chat events promoting various projects. Her Official Web Site, online since 1996, includes a guestbook in which she participates. Trivia Her grandfather invented the Delany valve, a flushing device still use in today's toilets. Had a brief romance with Treat Williams and Don Henley. 1991: Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. Attended and graduated from Wesleyan University. She was the voice of two superheroes' girlfriends: Andrea Beaumount, girlfriend of Bruce Wayne, in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), and Lois Lane in "Superman" (1996). Although she is from New York City and is a stage-trained actress, she admitted in an interview that she prefers film and television work to stage work. Measurments: 34C-25-36 (on Exit to Eden (1994) set) (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine). Attended Phillips Academy Andover for high school. Attended Stamford, Connecticut, public schools until her senior year in high school. 3/18/81: Her father, who was her biggest fan, died from pancreatic cancer. Shares a birthday with her True Women (1997) (TV) co-star Annabeth Gish. Has an older brother, Sean Delany, and a younger sister, Corey Delany. Dated Henry Czerny for 4 years. When she moved to New York City in the 1970s, she worked as a cocktail waitress while waiting for her big break. Friend of Arleen Sorkin and Bob Saget. Her first and last names are quoted in the final rhyme to the "Animaniacs" (1993) theme song. Original choice for the role of "Bree" on "Desperate Housewives" (2004). Role went to her friend, Marcia Cross. They both appeared on "Cheers" (1982), but on different episodes. Favorite TV shows are "Mad Men" (2007) and "30 Rock" (2006). Her mother is related to Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of Navy, Gibson Welles. Filmography